Building Trust - Securing the Payment System

Today's data thieves are highly sophisticated in their technological prowess and in their understanding of the payment infrastructure. They are smart, nimble and determined—moving quickly to take advantage of any new opportunity to perpetuate fraud globally.

And the impact these criminals can have on commerce is real. Although fraud rates have remained stable, fraud can erode the trust of customers—cardholders and merchants. Put simply, today's criminals—data thieves, hackers, phishers and dumpster divers—are dangerous because they don't just steal money, they steal peace of mind.

To meet this threat, every entity with a stake in electronic payments must be fully committed to protecting the system each and every day. No less than the fundamental trust that customers place in their choice of payment is at stake. That is why, at Visa, nothing is more important to us than security and building trust within the system.

Visa's approach is based on the belief that the only effective way to fight fraud is to employ multiple layers of security. Simply put, there is no "silver bullet" that will erase fraud. Criminals attack the payment system from many directions using multiple tools and tactics. Visa works to protect each link within its control and works with others in the payment chain with an aim to ensure there is no single point of failure—no weak link. Visa seeks to address all forms of fraud, including counterfeiting, lost and stolen, card-not-present, and identity theft. That is what layers is all about—making sure that even if criminals succeed in breaching one layer, they find another locked door in front of them, another, and another and another.

We have aligned our myriad security efforts into a comprehensive approach that is designed to remove the weaknesses fraudsters seek to exploit. Each policy, program and technology application within Visa's security layers work in concert to achieve a single, critical goal: creating and maintaining the safest, most secure way to pay.

To learn more about Visa's efforts to securing the payment system and tips for protecting your card information, go to your country's website (see links on the right).